So NOT Friends Forever
by Natasel
Summary: A reversal of the tale we all know. Instead of a friendship that became love, enemies become so much more.
1. Chapter 1

Time travel is a cornucopia of disturbing concepts

Time travel is a cornucopia of disturbing concepts.

This is actually quite an understatement.

Even forgoing the usual paradoxes that could hypothetically result in time travel, the many unprovable and conflicting theories as to how the mechanics of time travel would actually operate, the fact was that initiating time travel in the classical sense is something that is quite simply, impossible.

Of course since this is a Kim Possible story, impossible never is.

So NOT Friends Forever.

Chapter 1: A Single Pebble.

Fortune is fickle.

To truly comprehend the depth of this truth, one must realize that fortune is a part of fate, which in itself is a part of destiny, which in turn, depending upon your belief, can either be something you shape or something that happens to you. Perhaps it can even be both, or more, or none.

Fortune IS fickle.

Take for instance, Kim Possible and Ron Stoppable. Teen hero and sidekick. Their story is known, the chapters written and their parts in the theater of life set.

What events came to pass that shaped these two and set them on the course of great adventures, even greater friendship and quite possibly even more?

Was it in the stars? Were they destined to live their lives as they have lived? Their fates writ onto stone?

Or perhaps, the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune cast more than one path, more than one destiny.

Fortune is fickle. And Fortune doesn't hold liquor very well….which could explain this story all too well.

The rock flew through the air on little more than a boy's arm and prayer. There really wasn't much of a chance it would hit the target but a cry for help from a red headed little girl had prompted young Ronald Stoppable to do what his mother always told him not to do.

Eat things with his feet.

Well, that was one of the things his mother always told him not to do, but right now what he was doing was slinging a rock at another child. At least, that was what Arnie Custer claimed to be. Ron was pretty sure one didn't get held back in pre-K but Arnie was just a little too big to be believed. What kid wore size six shoes at pre-k?

Arnie Custer was also mean. And dumb. And he didn't share. And was probably going to re-arrange his face once the rock (pebble actually, though to a young child, it was certainly seemed larger) missed and drew Arnie's attention, something Ron had successfully avoided until a little red headed girl's cry for help prompted him to help.

Realizing the rock was going to herald his end, yet Ron couldn't take his eyes off of it, seeing everything in slow motion, a feeling like the world hung in the balance and everything fell away to nothing as his focus remained on the rock as it sailed through the air and smashed Arnie Custer's nose into a bloody gusher, spraying a fine red mist everywhere.

There was silence.

Absolute silence as the world slowly came flowing back to him.

First was the feel of the warm morning sun on his cold, clammy skin. A slight breeze blew by the school playground they were all in that bought the scent of green grass mingling with the sick taste of terror. It was a beautiful day with a clear blue sky dotted with fluffy white clouds and right in front of him was Arnie Custer, the biggest, meanest kid in Pre-K holding his bloodied nose, now dripping down a dirty, grape juice stained shirt and onto the ground, looking right at him. Him. Ron Stoppable. The boy with the sling shot in his hand and so scared he couldn't even move a muscle.

Arnie was so beyond going to kill him.

"MOMMY!!" Arnie shrieked. Then ran away crying like baby.

It took several moments before what happened to sink in. Even then, Ron couldn't believe it for a while…he did it…HE beat off Arnie Custer! He saved the girl! He was a Hero!

"BOOYAH!!" The cry came from somewhere deep inside of him. Ron didn't know where he heard it, or what it meant but he knew it was the right thing to shout out to the world as he danced about the playground. Alive, so gloriously alive!

He jumped into the air laughing with the ecstatic relief of escaping a gruesome demise. He ran around in circles and danced with gleeful abandon at being given another chance at life.

Ron vowed he would live life to the fullest! He'd get a pet, even if he had to find one without fur cause his dad had allergies and stuff. He'd go camping and learn to ride a bike and everything!

Ron looked at the wide eyed girl and smiled goofily. He knew what happened next. She was going to be his girlfriend and they were going to ride off into the sunset together!

"Hi! My name is Ron! What's yours?"

The girl screamed like, well, a girl and was running away from him before Ron could blink and scratch his head. His wet, sticky head?

Pulling his hand to his face Ron saw that it came away stained red with blood. Arnie's blood. He was covered in blood.

Eww! That was sick and wrong!


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: These characters belong to Disney. I own squat.

A single stone flew through the air on nothing more than the strength of a young boy's hand and a prayer.

And then the screaming began.

* * *

"I don't understand. Ronald would never do something like this." Mrs. Stoppable fretted as looked at the pictures in her hand. Her husband sat right next to her as she flipped through the images showing a boy with a face so bloodied it was hard to look at. There was just no way her Ronnie could have done this. Ron was a good boy! He may have acted out at times and was a bit strange but he was never one to pick fights! And he certainly could never have done this!

Principal Maria Gonzales sighed and tried to keep her face as neutral as possible. As a mother of five wonderful children, the failure of the Stoppable's to reign in their only son son was inexcusable. Already she could feel her thankfully still dark hair turning white from the paperwork this incident would create while Mr. and Mrs. Stoppable stared in shocked denial. She had seen this too often to count. Clueless parents. The brat was trouble.

She just didn't need this now, she was pushing 40 and her dream of early retirement was so close. Years of having to deal with other people's lack of discipline for their children and now this little monster, a career killer if there ever was one. A child like that should be locked up!

"Let's stick with the facts Mr. and Mrs. Stoppable. There is a child in a hospital right now because of your son. There are witnesses and your son confessed. Frankly, given the extent of the injuries the other boy sustained, I'm not sure if I can allow your son to continue." Maria said in the most reasonable voice she could manage. Lousy parenting was what allowed this to happen, and if she could raise five children to be fine upstanding role models than this couple in front of her were failures as human beings in her eyes.

"Wait a minute! You're kicking my boy out of Pre-K? Is that even legal?" Mr. Stoppable gaped, his mind still numb as he tried to estimate the damages and medical bills that they may have to shoulder. Years working as an actuary giving him a fairly accurate idea of the cost of rehabilitation and the difficulties they would be facing in the next few months in particular.

Even for someone with an inside track in the insurance industry like him, getting the funds needed would be a tricky challenge, and having just bought new home, their finances were stretched tight.

"I assure you it is perfectly legal Mr. and Mrs. Stoppable. In light of the danger your child, Ronald Stoppable, poses to the remaining student body, it would be unethical for me to not take any and all prudent precautions against further incidents. Also, due to this incident, Ron will be classified as a child requiring Special Services and as such, this school is not equipped to handle your son."

"What are you saying? You make my Ron sound…like, like a criminal!"

"Legally, he isn't. You two however, ARE legally responsible for your son." /A_nd because this happened on my school and on my watch, so am I/ _Principal Gonzales groused. Years of near perfect performance down the drain because of. She was a candidate for the district Educator of the Year award and along with that prestige was a nice sum she had already ear marked for her retirement and move to Go City. Now all of her hard work was going to count for nothing unless she could make this all go away.

There was no way to sweep this under the rug, not with who Arnie's parents were and nothing she could do wouldn't make it seem like she was trying to avoid responsibility. She didn't want to do this but it was time to call in a few favors from her special friend Norman.

Norman Rockwaller, attorney at law and grandfather to one Arnie Custer.

Someone was going down for this, and it wasn't going to be her.

* * *

Dr. Anne Possible sat in her office and sighed.

Twins.

She should have been overjoyed at hearing the news. She knew her husband was. James loved her daughter Kim as much as a man could but Kim wasn't the son the man wanted to have in his own image. The son she wanted to give him.

News that she was carrying his twins had him grinning like a mad man.

James Timothy Possible was already planning to name them after himself. Jim and Tim Possible. The next generation of rocket scientists. The next generation of Possibles.

Anne loved her husband. He was a sweet, smart, gentle man who was a wonderful father and a good and decent person. And the fact that he was a brilliant rocket scientist at the top of his field didn't hurt. But for all the man's brilliance, for all of his stupendous mental abilities, he remained impervious to the simple reality of dollars and cents.

She held the household budget. He insisted he do their taxes every year and she let him try, he tried so valiantly but in the end she knew she had to keep a set of tax papers in reserve just in case. His ability to focus on the mundane things in life was less than stellar.

Had he simply been able to curb his tendency to overspend his department's budget (or even just keep track), she supposed he would have been promoted to a much higher position and pay scale long ago. But the same zeal and passion that fueled the raging curiosity in the man, also bought about his downfall.

It doesn't matter how brilliant you are, if you can't be trusted to avoid spending yourself into a hole, then you're not going to be the boss.

Time and again, less brilliant but obediently budget conscious peers slipped by him to become his superiors.

There was just so much he wanted to do, so much potential that he could see, so many…possibilities….being told "no" didn't seem right to him. That some things he wanted to do were just not worth being done or possible was not something he believed in.

And now while her husband was off celebrating the upcoming birth of his twin sons, Anne Possible sat in her office and brooded.

She was a doctor, and her husband was a rocket scientist. Together, they could easily afford a family, a nice house in a good neighborhood, two cars and all those little extras that came with the good life.

In theory.

In reality Anne had struggled her entire life against colossal odds to get to where she was. An orphan, she diligently used every little bit of luck and opportunity she could get to put herself through medical school, trusting that the genes that gifted her with a brilliant mind and hard work would see her through.

But student loans were expensive. What little she managed to save over the years had been spent on the long road to a medical degree. She still had a few years of medical school to finish if she ever wanted to become a true specialist, where the prestige and money was.

One more child, the budget could take. But two….two meant that there might some unpleasant changes in their lifestyle.

That was why despite the voice inside of her that nothing good could come from this meeting with Norman Rockwaller, she silenced the voice with steely reasoning. It wasn't that unusual for a grandfather to visit the hospital his grandson was being treated at after all.

And being asked to testify by a lawyer in the field of your expertise wasn't unusual.

But Norman Rockwaller was a shady character who was part of the "old money" crowd in Middleton. While not exactly fabulously wealthy the Rockwallers did have enough connections to those in power and funds in their pocket to give them a bit of influence in Middleton as well as Upperton and Lowerton. They were part of the social elite, the in crowd. The type of people mere middle class people hoped to be one day.

"Look at it this way Mrs. Possible, what happened to my grandson is a tragedy but one that can turn out to be an…opportunity." The elderly gentleman spoke with authority, though short paunchy, and balding, he knew he was important and powerful and it showed in the way he carried himself as he stood in her office. Hands clasped easily behind his back while holding a folder as he look over the walls, her medical certificates being closely examined.

"You'll have to speak plainly Mr. Rockwaller." Rubbing stomach, Dr. Anne Possible willed the twins to settle down, she needed her wits about her now. They were kicking extra hard of late.

"Heheh, sharp and to the point, I like that."Norman turned and walked to her desk and then placed the file before her, opening it revealed a few photos of Arnie bloodied but Anne knew it was not nearly as bad as it looked. Nothing that would require major surgery. Just decent first aid, which the hospital had already provided. There also some assorted medical records there but they seemed fairly mundane.

"See here, Arnie's beat up bad. I know its mostly just show but no one else really knows that now do they?" Norman smiled cordially in the way that had more juries ruling in his favor than anything his team could dig up on short notice, like Dr. Anne Possible's...potential vulnerability to persuasion at this junction in her life.

"Arnie's medical records are rather sketchy but I fail to see what this has got to do with anything…"

"Dr. Possible." Arnie spoke quickly to press his point as he reached into his jacked and pulled out some heh, _doctored_ medical records that would help his case. "All I want you to do, is to fully expound upon the damage my grandson is suffering from. Get him some help. Something that everyone needs from time to time. A little help. I'm sure you can understand can't you Dr. Possible?"

Anne quirked a brow but looked at the records. They SEEMED genuine but something was _off_ about them. Skull fracture, compounding concussion trauma, BRAIN damage? These were without a doubt the test results from the Neurology department and at the same time she knew in her heart they were utter fakes.

"And what exactly do you want me to do Mr. Rockwaller? We both know that the treatments that Arnie needs isn't going to include brain surgery." Her voice icy, Anne leaned back in her chair, hands hovering protectively over her belly. Fighting the urge to cringe at the man.

"What I want you to do, is explain away Arnie's...problems and say its because he got a good thump on the noggin today."

Anne gasped and stared at the Norman who was now seated across her desk. The man wanted her to LIE! Was he insane! In her field, reputation was paramount. To be caught lying just once meant your entire career was effectively ruined. No paper you publish, no research you were involved in, NOTHING you touched could be trusted 100%. And without that trust, you were worthless.

"Do this, and I'll make sure there's an extra place for one Kimberly Anne Possible once the new wing in our exclusive pre-school is open. Heck, I'll even throw in a full scholarship."

Anne froze in the midst of yelling for him to get out of her office. The Rockwaller Institute for the Gifted and General Educational Disciplines in Upperton was an ultra elite and select school that accepted a mere handful of candidates from all over the world. Just setting an appointment for entry had a fee that was so high those who had to ask need not bother.

Get in, and you may as well be set for life.

"Well Dr. Possible?"

Dr. Anne Possible looked at picture of her daughter on her desk. The smiling, bright green eyed little girl was just turning four. The same age she had lost everything as a child.

"I'll testify." The words were dark and bitter, and the man's handshake made her feel queasy in ways that had nothing to do with the twins but she was determined to do this now.

For Kim.

Kim would never know about this. She deserved the best a good mother could offer.

Yet it didn't stop her from feeling dirty.


	3. Chapter 3

Bills.

Bills.

Bills.

There was no end to them.

Mr. Stoppable had a gift for math and as actuary of the year for several years running, was quite familiar with situations like this. His work was closely tied with accountants and insurance agents so financial matters were his home ground as it were. He even helped hold seminars on how to give counseling to people who were way over their heads.

But all his previous experience was muted by the fact that being now he on the receiving end and it was worse that he imagined it would.

In a word, the Stoppables were **SCREWED**.

It certainly wasn't fun to have such a bleak assessment, but there simply was no denying it.

No matter how he figured it, there was no way they could pay for the medical, legal and other assorted expenses Ron's little mishap on his first day of Pre-K would cost the family.

There were mortgaged to the hilt and everything they had in their accounts and future earnings would be swallowed up by the interest rates if they took a loan, assuming they could even find a bank willing to give them one.

Insurance wouldn't cover it since he honestly never imagined Ron could be capable of such violence. He thought he had raised his son better than that.

Obviously he was wrong.

Now with mortgages and debts hanging over their heads, dwindling savings and shaky prospects of a stable financial future, Mr. Stoppable finally gave up after hours of crunching numbers he knew would tell him the same story over and over.

Declare bankruptcy.

It was the only logical move left.

So much for Middleton being the land of opportunity. When he and his wife moved here with their young son, it was in anticipation of the boom times the entire area would soon experience.

A rocketry center, R and D institutes springing up every where, elite schools and top notch medical centers all meant massive amounts funding were being concentrated in Middleton to make it a top draw to the scientific community, and all that funding would eventually mean the need for insurance, in which he was in demand, against everything from theft, sabotage to the inevitable unexpected experiment blowing up in their creator's faces.

His wife even got a stellar job opportunity with all the development going on with a local bank and he had obligingly moved to allow her the opportunity to pursue her dream of financial windfalls.

He didn't mind. He was an actuary. He could work anywhere people would put a dollar value on human life. Threat of avalanches, killer robots or monkey ninjas. It was all the same to him.

A few years of hard work, promotions, raises and bonuses then it was off to some tropical island.

Lost for a moment in that now fading dream, Mr. Stoppable missed the first few times the office phone rang so he rubbed his eyes blearily before reaching across the massive pile of bills on his desk for the phone with a groan.

It was late and he had been burning the midnight oil far too much of late and he was getting stiff with age. Perhaps he really should join a gym and finally lose the gut…

"Mr. Stoppable! How are you this fine day?" A smooth male voice spoke.

Mr. Stoppables already foul mood turned even worse at the sound of that voice. Perkins of Rockwaller, Impossible and Perkins. It was a firm that specialized in bankruptcy cases. When businesses fail, projects get cancelled or something's funding got its plug pulled, they were there to pick up the pieces (and line their pockets of course). Their track record of results were exemplary, but their methods, not so much.

The vultures were coming out already it seems.

"You've called at a bad time Perkins. It's almost 3am." A quick glance at his wrist watch confirmed this.

"Oh, so sorry my friend! I'm in Norway right now enjoying a ski resort vacation! You really should come up here some time. Hit the slopes. Try some meat cakes! It will be great!"

"Look, Perkins, I've got a lot of work to do so…."

"Filing for Bankruptcy eh?"

Mr. Stoppable stopped for a moment to wonder how that man would know about his family's financial problems and then decided it was unimportant.

The actuary world was small and tight knit, with close ties to accounting firms and law firms. Rockwaller, Impossible and Perkins probably knew more about his situation before he got the call from the Principal than he did.

He suppose he should be flattered. They typically focused the "P.I." arm of the firm (or spying scumbags as he thought of them) on important figures.

"What do you want?"

"Straight to business eh my friend? I like that about you." There was a slight pause and he heard some feminine giggling on the other side of the phone along with some splashing. Apparently hot tubs built for two could hold more than just two.

"Look, I've heard about a little fiasco at some Pre-K and I've got to say, it's turning into a bit of a circus. Heck I'm in NORWAY and I still managed to hear about."

_Circus?_ "Perkins, what are you talking about?"

More laughter and splashing on the other end of the line before Perkins spoke again. "Its all over the news Stoppable. TV, newspapers, heck, Opal's probably trying to sign exclusive right to an interview right now as we speak."

Mr. Stoppable paled and raced up to the den from his basement office to turn on the TV. It only had local channels since he didn't believe in spending for cable but it told him enough.

Oh Dear Lord.

"Monstrous attack on a defenseless…."

"The child is a psycho! Look at the…"

"In my professional opinion, sociopathy can occur even in children and…"

Turning off the TV, he slumped on his worn, second hand couch. His mind numb. The financial problems he could see clearly, this….this was another kind of problem. The type he just didn't have the skill set to deal with.

He wasn't great with people. He wasn't phobic about social events or such but his skills were in dealing with numbers, hard facts and coldly logical calculations.

A PR nightmare like this would eat him and his family alive.

Trudging back down to his den, Mr. Stoppable dreaded the conversation he now knew he had to make and the deal he was going to take.

Rockwaller, Impossible and Perkins could make it all go away, but the firm always wanted something in exchange. They knew he didn't have the money they typically wanted so an alternative payment plan was probably in place. Figuratively, his soul.

"What do you want Perkins?"

But he would do it.

For his family.

For Ron.


	4. Chapter 4

Ron Stoppable was bored.

He'd been SO grounded that hadn't been allowed to leave his room all week. His windows and shades were kept closed and even his meals were bought up to him.

It was like being in prison only without time in the yard to get some sunshine and exercises.

Still, Ron didn't mind too much.

Outside, there were a lot of angry people with cameras and mean things to say about him.

They'd even started to camp out around his house and there had to be police to make sure they kept their distance.

In here all he had to deal was the lack of anything to occupy his mind, having read through every comic he had and even snuck out of his room when mom and dad were arguing again (loud enough for him to hear through 2 doors and a flight of stairs) to snatch some of their books to read.

They were boring, mostly about numbers and stuff.

Staring at the ceiling, lying on his bed, Ron wondered about the little red headed girl that was at the start of this all. Was she in trouble too? Ron hoped not. It would be a real lousy rescue by him if she was.

Wasn't he supposed to get a kiss or something from her? Even if girls had cooties it would have been nice to have even if it was just so he could tell if he'd turn into a prince and get to live in a palace with her.

He bet a palace would have cable TV.

Wait, what was that smell?

"RON! Come down for lunch!"

Ron blinked, well, that was new. Usually his mom just barged in with his food and came back after an hour or two take it away this week. Also, it was about an hour early for lunch.

Something was happening.

Throwing on some clothes, (he'd been wearing only his underwear and socks for days now) Ron burst out of his room and hit the heavenly aroma of Beuno Nacho!

Wow! There isn't even a Bueno Nacho in Middleton yet! Dad must have gone all the way to Go City or something to get that!

Flying towards the dinner table, Ron practically drooled at what he was seeing. Nachos, tacos, burritos, meats and cheeses and all sorts of non-kosher food was arrayed before him.

"Eat up Ron, I got all of your favorites."

Ron blinked and looked at his dad, he was still wearing a rain coat that had stains that looked like eggs and tomatoes on it.

His mom just sat there at her place at the dinner table, smiling at him.

Something was wrong.

Ron decided that whatever it was, it would be easier to figure out on a full stomach anyway and dug in.

What followed next was an epic scene of Grande Sized gluttony that should have had his mom yelling at him about table manners but all that happened was her reaching over and ruffling his hair before she wiped his face.

Something was SERIOUSLY wrong.

"Ron, come with me, there's something we need to talk about."

Uh-oh. His dad never used that tone of voice before.

Following his dad to the living room, they sat on the couch awkwardly for a time before his dad spoke.

"Ronald, remember what happened a week ago when you shot the slingshot at another

boy?"

Ron nodded.

"Well son, that boy was hurt very badly. Now I know you had a good reason for doing what you did, but what you did also ended up being a very bad thing."

Ron's brow scrunched up at that. "But dad, the girl could have gotten hurt!"

His dad frowned and opened his mouth several times but no words came out until he finally sighed. "Ronald, you always do and say what you think is right, no matter what anybody else tells you and I admire that about you. You should be proud of who you are. You are Ronald Stoppable! A good boy and no better son a father like me could have asked for. Promise me you'll always remember that son."

Ron just blinked. Was his dad about to cry?

There was a knock on the door and a loud voice. "This is the Middleton Police! Open up!"

His mom came down with a suitcase just as his dad went to open the door.

"Mom?"

"Here honey, I packed your things." She handed him his bag just as the door opened and several very big, scary looking men in black flak armor with helmets and shiny face shields came barreling through.

"Remember son, even though we have to be away for a while, whatever happens, we both love you very much." Was all his mother could say to him before she was pulled away. Rough hands took his suitcase and forced his arms behind his back as he was pinned to the floor. He felt handcuffs click around his wrists.

"What's was going on?" Ron squeaked in panic. Why was he getting arrested? He didn't do anything wrong!

"Son….you're going to have to stay somewhere else for a while. It won't be for long." Mr. Stoppable said as they carried Ron by.

Ron looked at his dad but his father wouldn't look him the eye. This was NOT good!

"Why didn't you tell me?" Ron screamed.

"This is our way of telling you son." Ron heard his mother call out from behind him before he was torn away from his home.

"Mom! Dad! I promise! I'll be good! Don't let them take me to jail! Mom! Dad!"

Ron was about yell out a promise to never eat a taco again if he could stay when he was finally gagged.

Dr. Chilton, a trim, round spectacled non descript man rapidly approaching middle age was the very picture of the stereotypical shrink, from his tweed jack with the patched elbows down to the sensible brown pants and shoes along with his ever at hand clipboard and pen. His brown hair had even streaks of white at the temples of brown hair which he cultivated to enhance his image as the foremost expert of psychiatry in Middleton.

Currently he marveled at his good fortune.

He had worked for years in the field of psychiatry to little acclaim but now he finally had a chance to show the world his genius!

Standing high on an elevated balcony, protected by a reinforced one way glass window and the distance afforded of several stair cases and corridors with security gates, gave the middle aged man a good view of the chaos swirling down bellow in Processing.

Chaos caused by one boy, loose, on the run and currently making fools of the orderlies in Middleton's latest mental health facility, Middleton Asylum for the Deranged. Such abnormal behavior by itself would make good case study material.

Ronald stoppable, child psycho was going to become a guest at his ward!

As head of psychiatric department, such a high profile patient couldn't help but raise his standing among his peers. Even now Ronald was giving him material to make his name prominent in the field of psychiatry.

Apparently straight jackets do not come in "child" sizes. Neither did the restraints in what was supposed to be their secure transport van. He really should talk to someone about that. Also, how did the boy end up barefoot?

"Hey let me go! I didn't do anything wrong! Why are you doing this to me! HELP!" Ron screamed, his little legs pumping frantically, his straight jacket still on but obviously being worked lose with each moment. Dr. Chilton guessed that another minute or two and the boy would have his hands free. The muzzle/gag on his face was already gone, having been torn off somehow without the use of his hands.

It was all so fascinating! Strong denial and/or hallucinatory and manipulative streak! Emphatic use of facial expressions and body language to convey fear and outrage. Remarkable for such a young subject. And the fact that not even a half dozen orderlies, personally chosen by himself for their ability to subdue the more unruly patients in the ward was stopping the young boy from running about, scampering over, under and even leaping past obstacles, tables, chairs (or even the orderlies themselves) like a monkey just cemented his initial diagnosis and the supporting evidence he received in the official reports.

Manic, well documented violence, psychotic schizoid tendencies almost assured, potential sociopath of unknown degree. Genetic and/or environmental factors to be determined.

Forget the Lipsky case or that has been Barkin, this case was the one with all the media attention and if he struck now while the iron was hot, his name would be in the headlines and in demand for lecture tours, guest appearances, books and publications for years to come.

Oh, looks like they finally cornered and pinned down their celebrity patient.

Four grown men to hold one boy down, a fifth to give a shot of tranquilizer. The sixth standing by in case more assistance was needed.

Impressive.

Patient's struggling may be diminished but sedation was not instantaneous. May have to explore reason for drug resistance. Possible history of substance abuse? Hmmm….may also have to alter the gags and jackets to fit his smaller frame. Standard procedure for violent and dangerous psychopaths will have to be adjusted for this one.

"Nurse Ratchet, is Room 101 ready for out latest arrival?"

"Of course doctor, I have everything ready and waiting for you. Shall we be starting the treatments now?" A round, cheerful nurse spoke from behind Dr. Chilton.

"Hmmm...yes, I think we need to start the treatments as early as possible." The sooner he started, the sooner he could get a breakthrough from Patient Stoppable and the greater an achievement that would be.

And with the head start, any other psychologist called to the case would have to defer to his expertise.

It was a good day to be Dr. Chilton.

"Dean! How could you just let them take my little boy away like that!" Mrs. Stoppable screamed as soon as the house was empty, her fist beating ineffectually at her husband's upraised arms in her frustration.

"Marjorie please, we've been over this." Dean sighed, looking over at his wife with tired eyes.

The last few days had not been kind to the Stoppable couple. Between the constant harassment of having to deal with the press, the government and the people in general, life had become an unending montage of jeers, hostile looks and outright ostracism.

They didn't have any friends to support them in Middleton. No one seemed interested or even mildly sympathetic to their side of the story and it was so horrible a situation that Dean caught himself THANKING the slow pace government bureaucracy for allowing him time to make preparations.

"Marjorie, this won't go away, it'll just keep getting bigger and bigger unless something else grabs the public's interest." Mr. Stoppable wasn't going to hold his breath on that hope. Mr. Lynn, the Media PR Man of Rockwaller, Impossible and Perkins had outright stated that Ron was currently the hottest news item in Middleton and would remain that way unless something like a cheerleader saving the world came up.

And perhaps, not even then.

"We've got to go through with the plan. You know this is the best way we can help Ron right now." The man cautiously stepped closer to his wife and embraced her, feeling her calm down in his arms.

"I….I know. Its just that so much has gone wrong. I've got to go to Norway and you'll be…" The blonde woman tried to hold back a sob but failed. So much had gone so wrong.

"Hush, lets not talk about that." She was taller than him so he had to look as he pressed a finger to her lips. She was so beautiful. He was so lucky to have her as his wife. He had pursued her all through college and wondered if she'd ever consider settling down with a boring old aspiring actuary like him and the day she said yes, was one of the happiest days of his life.

"Whatever happens now, we've got to trust that Ron is in good hands." Dean said, despite having gone through what he did, he still had faith in the system.

Ron would be in good hands.

"Now tell me the truth. Was there a little red headed girl?" Dr. Chilton asked.

"YES!"

A discrete nod and Nurse Ratchet flipped a switch, sending a mild, behavior modifying electric shock towards the boy strapped securely in the gurney. The figure strapped to it convulsed a bit, but was too exhausted to do more after so many shocks. With his blonde hair shaved off as per regulation, patient smock comically over sized on his small frame and restraints aided by duct tape and rubber tubing, Ronald Dean Stoppable seemed more like a caricature of a man sentenced to die by the electric chair than a child with deep mental problems that need to be cured.

Still better safe than sorry. Iron shackles were sadly not in the budget but Dr. Chilton knew how to make do.

"Was there a little red headed girl?"

"YES!"

ZAP!

Signaling to once again increase the voltage, Dr. Chilton resumed the aversion therapy that he'd been administering for hours now.

"Was there a little red headed girl?"

"YES!"

ZAP!

"Was there a little red headed girl?"

"YES!"

ZAP!

Dr. Chilton raised his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose in annoyance. Apparently Patient Stoppable was in the grip of a very strong hallucinatory fantasy that allowed him to play out his violent messianic urges and his denial was so deeply rooted it would take more time than he could afford to waste to cure him of it.

He should have known it wasn't going to be easy to break Patient Stoppable of his psychosis but to ignore repeated and prolonged negative reinforcement in the face of such undeniable evidence was practically unheard of in a child. Even one as mentally disturbed as this one. Clearly a unique and ground breaking case which he would have been happy to have should the time constraints not have been so severe.

There was NO red headed girl enrolled in the Pre-K where Patient Stoppable manifested his violent tendencies. He had personally gone through the enrollment files and checked to see if any of the children currently attending the Pre-K had red hair.

No one even came close to matching the description. Offical records and statements made it clear that Patient Stoppable was deluded. Dangerously so. Armed with such knowledge, he had formulated a brilliantly simple way to treat Patient Stoppable.

Confront him with a truth that ran counter to his delusions and have him acknowledge it.

That would have lead to a break through but his stubborn refusal to recant or even justify his delusions were getting tiring.

"Was there a little red headed girl?" Dr. Chilton asked wearily.

"YES!"

ZAP!

He didn't have time for this. He had other more important matters to attend to. A press conference to give in less than an hour and he didn't have his speech memorized yet.

Gesturing with his head, Dr. Chilton had Nurse Ratchet, who was obediently standing besides an electric switch, follow him outside the hallway. At least the room was sound proof so he could discuss the patient's treatment with a fellow professional outside the room without the patient's bias becoming a factor.

The only other people about were a group of four orderlies Dr. Chilton ordered to stand by just in case. Never can be too careful after all.

"Nurse Ratchet, please start Patient Stoppable's medication scheme now. I have to be ready for the press in less than an hour."

"Of course doctor, shall I include the sedatives as well?"

"Yes, yes, full spectrum anti-psychotics, anti-hallucinatory and downers." Dr. Chilton stretched wearily. The chair he sat on for the last hour wasn't padded like the gurney Patient Stoppable was strapped to and he wished the contractors had actually fulfilled their promise to furbish the asylum in time.

Room 101 was all bare cement walls, ceiling of exposed tubing and a floor of sterile tiles slanted to the middle where a drain was strategically placed to deal with the more unpleasant actions of some patients with no bowel or bladder control. It contained only a small table, an uncomfortable stool for him, and the gurney Patient Stoppable was strapped to and of course, the negative reinforcement apparatus.

It didn't exactly look conducive to one's mental health to be here, and each time the negative reinforcement apparatus was switched on the bare bulb flickered over head, giving him a headache but Dr. Chilton was a man who could persevere in the face of such mundane discomforts and incompetence.

Besides, Patient Stoppable's eyes were blindfolded anyway as part of the treatment, sensory and motor deprivation to help the patient focus on the negative reinforcement was a favored technique of his.

"Also, contact our suppliers and see if they can send us the straightjacket in Patient Stoppable's size as soon as possible. We may need to present him to the media some day soon and it he'll have to look his best."

"Of course doctor. Will you be needing anything else?"

"No. But please continue the treatment for Patient Stoppable here, I have a looping voice recording here and with luck, there may be a breakthrough soon." At least he hoped so. After a long day trying to give Patient Stoppable the best help he could, he was ready to go home, eat his dinner and get some well deserved sleep.

But he was a professional and he had obligations to fulfill. He needed to go to his office, comb his hair, put on his good jacket and face the press first.

It would not occur to Dr. Chilton, even after the press conference, that the voltage setting wasn't set for a child. Nor to check that the dosages he was prescribing was adjusted for one either. It had been a long, tiring day after all.

Of course not everyone had such a problem with fatigue. Nurse Ratchet cheerfully volunteered to do an extra shift duty on Patient Possible, because in Middleton Asylum for the Deranged, working through the night was just one way of showing how dedicated you were to taking care of other people's misery.

"Was there a little red headed girl?" A pre-recorded voice asked.

"YES!"

ZAP!


	5. Chapter 5

Kim Possible was sad.

First, she wasn't going to get a new baby sister, instead, she was going to get two icky little brothers and worst of all, she still had to go to school!

"But I don't wanna go! I'm scared!" Kim pouted up at her mommy and daddy while hiding behind mommy's skirt. It didn't work the last time but this time she pouted extra hard!

"Now now Kimmie Cub we talked about this. Its going to be alright this time." James said as he knelt down and patted his little girl's head. As his brother "Slim" used to say, sometimes the best thing to do after falling off a robo horse is to get right back on it.

That or push the OFF button, which wasn't really an option for Kimmie Cub.

She needed a good education if she was going to be a top notch rocket scientist one day.

"But what if there are mean boys in this school too?" Kim risked a peek and saw that the new school was bigger and fancier looking but that might there were MORE mean boys inside.

"Its alright Kimmie, this is a very special school for very special little girls. You won't meet any boys here." For Ann, seeing her little girl so skittish tugged at her heart to just pick her baby up and never let go, but getting your child into the Rockwaller Institute for the Gifted and General Academic Disciplines was like setting them on a sure road to success in life.

Sometimes the best thing a mother could for her child was to let them go.

As she felt her little girl trembling against her leg, little fists clung tightly at her skirt and a teary eyed puppy dog pout staring up at her face, Ann felt whatever reservations she had about testifying against Ronald Stoppable melt away.

Any boy that made her baby feel this much dread was a menace!

Had Rockwaller not given her those documents, she might have made them up herself.

"Promise?"

"I promise Kimmie. All the boys are somewhere else." While there were boys enrolled in the school, Ann knew they were in another part of the campus and Kimmie would only see them during lunch at the cafeteria.

If she ate at the cafeteria.

Ann resolved to bring a home made lunch for daughter everyday until Kimmie got over her fear of boys.

Kim wavered. The new school did look rather nice. Kinda like a palace. And there wouldn't be any boys…

"And after school, you get a Cuddle Buddy." Sometimes being a good parent was knowing when to use bribery.

All for the good of your child of course.

Kim perked up at the thought of her very own Pandaroo, finally letting go of her mother's skirt to take a step up infront of her new school. Straightening up in her very proper and grown up looking uniform, fitted jacked, blazer and skirt with a real tie mommy had to help her with and neat hat with a badge. And new black shoes. They pinched a bit but mommy said it was important to look like she belonged here with the other special little girls.

"Now Kimberly, I want you to remember something very important

Kim knew what to say this time. "Anything is possible for a Possible!"

Then first bell tolled.

Kim squeeked and ran towards the school, the fear of being late trumping older concerns. Flying up the grey marble steps two at a time, she barreled through the dark wood, gilded door as her proud parents looked on.

"Dear, are you sure we can afford this place? Not anything is too good for my Kimmie cub but I thought we had to make some budget cuts?"

James Timothy Possible took a look around and admitted to himself that he was impressed. Stately buildings of solid stone and gothic decor, high paneled arc windows with stained glass, grey slate roofs. And subtle placements of old coat of arms erased any doubt about the prestige of this place.

Even the drive to the school was a long trip past rows of tall, shady trees and landscaped gardens. Tasteful statuary and fountains decorated the ground. The whole compound was surrounded by stonewalls the made the place seem like a world apart from the rest of Upperton.

It was in a class of its own.

"Don't worry about it James, Kimmie got in as part of a scholarship. She is very special you know." Ann said while keeping her eyes fixed away from her husband's eyes.

"Right you are. Hmph! Public school and their boys! That's why I pulled out Kimmie's registration papers that very day."

Ann just smiled and nodded._ More like you were still wrestling with the paper work that was never filed when things got messy._

For a time, Ann just relaxed and enjoyed the feeling of her husband's arms around her. It was a beautiful day. Her daughter had a scholarship to one of the most prestigious institutions in the world. Even the twins were quiet.

It was a perfect moment.

"You know honey, I think we should buy a house here."

And suddenly, the moment was gone.

"Huh?" It wasn't the most intelligent thing to say, but it seemed appropriate .

"Well, with Kimmie cub attending here instead of Middleton Pre-K, it will be closer."

"No James." Ann didn't like tone in her husband's voice. It was the bright, hopeful voice of the dreamer in him. Nothing could stop him once he got started.

But there was only one way Jame's plans would end.

Black Hole Debt

She would NOT allow that.

"But Honey…"

"We'll discuss this after you get back Dr. Possible." She spun around and looked him in the eyes. Her arms crossed and gave him the Look.

James recognized the Look and wisely shut up. It didn't take a rocket scientist to know that it was time to retreat and hope that whatever he did or said to his wife to earn him the Look was not something he would repeat in the future.

Ever.

"Uh, Right you are honey!...uh…I'll just get to work now…..you'll be ok here right?"

Ann gave him the Look for a few more seconds before she sighed and nodded. Confident that she had averted disaster. "Yes James. There's a nice lounge in the school I can stray in while you go to work. We'll be fine. Now go to work and don't forget to pick up some milk on the way before you pick us up. We're almost out."

Nodding, Dr. James Possible ran towards the parking lot before he put his foot in his mouth again.

By the time he reached his car, he was panting a bit. The place was big enough to house a launch pad.

Taking a moment to catch his breath, James took a look at where he was again and shook his head.

I he had half as much funding as this place spent on keeping the grass perfect, he could have sent a space probe to Mars.

Twice.

Taking a more careful look around the lot, James spotted several limos, convertibles and imported luxury brands he didn't even recognize.

There was no denying it. His car was a piece of crap in comparison.

It was nick named "The Sloth"

James expected a recall any day now.

It wasn't like he was ashamed of how poor he looked. He had understood that money would be tight when he married Ann. He never worried about appearances much but now…now things have changed.

His precious little Kimmie Cub was going to rub elbows with the kind of people who hired and fired people like him. And people like that only were very discriminating on who they would accept, and very free about who they would mock.

James actually understood the effect of being mocked all too well. And to a child…

He mad much to think about.

His mother had offered to help and while he was loathe to take money from his mother, he wasn't too proud to turn away anything for his little Kimmie Cub.

Ann didn't have to know.


	6. Chapter 6

Ron Stoppable was having a good day.

The hurting machine was broken now and the mean fat lady was sick. Even creepy old Doc Chilton's voice wasn't here to bother him so today he could actually get some sleep.

If he could get out of getting jabbed by needles, Ron would even call it a great day.

Feeling an itch on his nose, Ron rolled onto his back and used his toes to lift up his muzzle for a moment so he could slide a foot up his chin and scratch away the itch.

Its been a while now and he wasn't sure what day it was but his hair grew back several times since they shaved him bald, Ron was sure it was a long, long, loooong time already.

His hair seemed even longer than before, way past the point where Mom said he had to get a hair cut. Past his ears and just over his jawline.

Thinking about Mom made him sad, he really missed her. She wouldn't cook him nachos but she sure was better than whoever was making the food they kept feeding him through the tube.

Grey was NOT a good color for food.

Bored, Ron lay back on the padded floor and tried to talk to his imaginary friend Rufus into playing another game of Zombie Mayhem with him.

Rufus was always up for a little Zombie Mayhem if he promised a little cheese.

If only Rufus wasn't so darn good at Zombie Mayhem! So far the score was 73-0 but Ron was confident he could get better. Maybe once he could use his fingers…

Ron was real lucky to have an imaginary friend like Rufus or else he'd go crazy from the boredom in his little room. It was cool with all the padding on the floor and walls making it like one giant bedroom (hehe, Bed Room) but he really wanted to go out and play in the light of day.

He hadn't seem the sun shine since he got here.

Sighing, Ron let Rufus win again and flipped himself upright to walk towards the door.

He didn't need a clock to know what time it was anymore.

Needle Time was coming in 3….2…1.

*Clack*

Yup, there goes the dead bolt, open the door and….

A rush of orderlies crashed into him and pinned him against a wall, knocking the breathe out of him as more restraints were slapped on. Shackles, collars, belt harness. They sure where going all out today.

When he wasn't jabbed with needles, Ron wondered if it was his birthday, everything sure was going swell today.

He was strapped to a gurney and got even more excited as he mentally mapped out the route they were taking.

He was being wheeled Outside!

Past several bar doors, up the secured elevator and right by several guard stations was the door to Outside.

Ron was so excited he didn't feel the pain of the needle before he was bathe in sunlight.

Oh well.

You couldn't always get everything you wanted.

* * *

Kim Possible was having a bad day.

She was late, her shoes still pinched and mommy was still bringing her lunch.

At first Kim was glad that mommy was always around but when the other girls learned about it they began calling her The Baby.

Kim wasn't a Baby! She was a big girl now and that meant she could eat with all the others at the La Granda mid-day dining hall, not with her mommy in the waiting lounge for drivers and nannies!

But every time she tried to join, every one kept saying they didn't eat with Losers.

She hated eating alone….and she wasn't a Loser!

Passing by a Rockwaller trophy case, filled to the brim with awards the Rockwaller family won over the years, Kim couldn't help but feel a little jealous. She knew her family was special too, after all, she was the only one with a brain surgeon mommy and a rocket scientist daddy but the people here didn't seem to care about that much.

Kim tilted her head as she looked at the glass and paused to adjust her beret just so. So far she hadn't earned any medal of her own to pin on the beret yet but she was sure she could get one any day now. She just had to win!

Ok, so singing wasn't her gift since being asked to sing a high note made her teacher faint and the rest of the class run of the room screaming about their ears. Etiquette was out since she somehow managed to pour steaming hot tea into the principal's lap. Home Economics had her setting cookies on fire one time, but this time for sure Kim knew she could get a merit medal to show off.

Then all the other girls would see how wonderful she was and then she could have lots of friends!

Ok...a few friends.

….just one friend?...

Fighting back the sniffles, Kim continued on her way. Ignoring the way her lonesome steps echoed in the vast, sun lit and prestigiously empty halls.

* * *

Dr. Chilton was a man who had many, many problems. First, his good suit wasn't ready from the dry cleaners because the nit wit in charge failed to comprehend the importance of his suit. His agent hadn't managed to book him on Opal yet, and perhaps most annoying of all, his trusted Nurse Ratchet just had to pick now of all times be unavailable.

*sigh*

He had come to depend on the good Nurse Ratchet for so much these days. He suppose he should not begrudge her absence too much. Talk might spring up that it was her care, and not his brilliant insight that led to Patient Stoppable's progress.

Anyway, it wasn't as if doubling the shifts of the remaining nurses and orderlies was hard. He was Dr. Chilton was the Chief Psychiatrist and ultimate authority of the Middleton Asylum for the Deranged after all.

Reassigning more of his personnel away from the mundane care of the other, less important patients and focusing on Patient Stoppable was his prerogative.

Still, it galled him to think how less dedicated the rest of his staff were in their duties compared to him or even Nurse Ratchet's humble example.

Complaining about being stretched thin, working too much overtime in the past week leading up to this most important day was getting tiresome.

He would have fired the lot of them had he not needed their services.

Still, a genius like himself had to make accommodations for those less gifted.

After today, he would be famous and acknowledged as a pre-eminent voice in the field of psychiatry, recognized by his peers and fellow medical practitioners for his pioneering methodology and spectacular results.

Dr. Chilton had a feeling that today was going to be a good day.

* * *

Dr. Ann Possible drove towards the Middleton Asylum for the Deranged with an illogical sense of foreboding.

Somehow, at the back of her mind, she knew that Ron Stoppable was unfinished business but to stand here and now as the Middleton Neurology Department's representative was an uncanny coincidence.

Her co-workers were extremely accommodating of her pregnancy but Ann felt that she should at least try to make their work load a little lighter by taking on the few jobs that wouldn't have taxed her too much.

A little consultation here and there had kept her busy enough at the hospital. The very place she planned to be as her due date was fast approaching.

Still, she had gone a bit stir crazy at being stuck in one place too long and impulsively accepted an assignment to attend Dr. Chilton's little press conference, not knowing that it was going to be about one patient Ronald Stoppable.

It was to be at the Middleton Asylum for the Deranged, close enough to make it an easy drive from there to Kimmie's school and back to the hospital.

From the look on her colleague's faces, she could tell they were grateful to have been spared this job. A quick and discrete round of questioning soon revealed why.

Dr. Chilton was a local legend for being….an egotistical dumbass.

And that was the most flattering thing she had heard about him.

Apparently through the myriad rules of tenure, promotion and sheer dumb luck, Dr. Chilton was the only one with the qualifications to run the Middleton Asylum for the Deranged.

Mostly because all the others were over qualified or had been promoted to better jobs long ago. Leaving Dr. Chilton as the head of the Middleton Asylum for the Deranged by default.

By the time she reached the Asylum, any hope she had about Dr. Chilton's bad reputation being a joke at her expense evaporated.

News vans and camera crews were swarming all over the place. She had to park outside the black iron fenced compound and walk past harried security guards trying to keep out the uninvited.

Thankfully there was enough common decency in the mob to let a pregnant lady pass.

Ann then reached the main courtyard where a hastily erected wooden stage stood before an imposing blockish building so devoid of features she had no doubt that this was the Asylum.

Part prison, part hospital, and today, all circus.

And on the stage, behind a podium and wearing a bad suit, was the ring master of this idiocy, Dr. Frederick Chilton.

"Welcome ladies and gentlemen. My name is Dr. Frederick Chilton. Today I am happy to announce that through rigorous therapy administered by myself, Dr. Frederick Chilton, a new milestone in psychiatric care has been reached! By applying the principles published in my…."

Ann found herself tuning the speech out. A few reporters tried to ask questions but Chilton just continued on as if had not heard anything. Her feet were throbbing and there weren't any seats.

If Chilton didn't stop soon, Ann was going turn back and look for a bathroom.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, may I present to you, Patient Stoppable!"

Gasps echoed around the courtyard.

Ann froze. The sun ceased to shine in the sky and the world turn cold and grey. The boy being wheeled onstage….she saw him before. A cute little blonde haired boy that laughed and darted ahead as Kim hid behind her skirt.

He had turned to her once and smiled. He had deep brown soulful eyes and an angelic smile.

Before he became…this.

Muzzled, restrained in a custom straight jacket and strapped to an upright gurney.

What stared back wasn't that little boy anymore.

It was madness.

Something twisted and hurt. Held up more by its chains than its own will. An animal shaped like a little boy. Its head lolled about freely, drooling as sounds like blissful crackling slipped past the mask as it was left into the full light of day.

Then like a whip, Ron Stoppable turned sharply towards her. **Her.**

Those drug glazed, deep brown eyes held her rooted to the spot, her own heart refused to beat and her blood turned icy cold.

Then suddenly there was a thunderclap out of a clear blue sky.

And the screaming began.


	7. Chapter 7

"And so that's my proposal!" James panted, still smiling as he flipped over the last of his diagrams after giving what was in his opinion, the best presentation and sales pitch in his life. "What do you think?"

Nana Possible sat back in her rocking chair and continued to sip her tea. A plate of lemon square sat untouched upon a side table. It wasn't everyday something serious enough to warrant ignoring her lemon squares came up. Her cozy living room was now almost plastered wall to wall by slides and projections of cost to benefits charts and preliminary blue prints.

"Well James, this is certainly a big change. I thought you and Ann had agreed to live more….modestly?"

Nana Possible looked over the designs plans and admitted to herself that she was quite impressed. And having seen quite a bit of grand architecture in her time, she could say that her boy had managed to plot out designs that would stand above most of them in sheer magnificence if nor scale.

If rocketry didn't work out, James could certainly be a good architect.

"Well, there's been some changes lately and I thought it might be a good idea to make a few back up plans just in case."

_Hmph_! A few back up plans indeed. Her vision may be the best these days but she didn't miss the dark bags under Jame's eyes. These blue print designs and project presentations burned a lot of midnight oil.

These were certainly a step up from the original plan to purchase a house in the suburbs of Middleton.

The options for the backyard pool alone took up as much square footage as the original house they were supposed to buy.

Add to that, Upperton was not merely a different address, it was an entire price range of its own.

"You're expecting me to deny your request for funding aren't you? Is that why you haven't shown me the rest of your proposals yet? So you can show cheaper options after I refuse the first batch?"

Watching James flinch told her she hit the issue right on the money. And the issue was money. James certainly worked for the government for far too long if he was going to play this sort of game with his own mother.

Raising her two boys hadn't always been easy but she knew she had bought her boys up right. She had instilled pride of who they were but it was this very same pride that was making things difficult.

"Well, don't just stand there James, show me the rest of your plans."

Surprised, James quickly unraveled his next set of plans.

Waiting until his back was turned, she turned off her hearing aid and helped herself to a lemon square. No sense letting them go to waste after all. And nothing like enjoying a lemon square in peace and quiet with a good cup of tea.

The rest of the designs were….practical. Conservative. Quite modest actually. Definitely reasonable.

They were also utter crap in her opinion.

Upperton's typical residences were gaudy, overly showy mansions of rich idiots who measured worth chiefly in terms of how much money was spent.

A sensible looking house would stand out in that environment like a summer camp cabin in a mall.

Still, she knew why he was doing this of course. As a mother, she even approved of his aims, but his lack of faith was a little hurtful.

Too much of his father in him she supposed. He never did like asking for help much.

Heh, this reminded her of the time James tried to talk her into buying him his very own rocket kit. He kept trying to convince her to buy it because of this or that reason for an hour.

She said yes the first time he asked after the first two seconds.

And people said she was deaf.

Well, this certainly was a lovely visit but she had things to do and plans to change. Besides, she needed to heat up another pot of tea anyway. Tepid teas wasn't very good. Where did she leave her checkbook,…ah yes. There it is. Purses didn't have so many different inner pockets back in her day.

Oh, almost forgot, must turn the hearing aid back on.

"You know, I think you should go for that one." She pointed to one of the plan she was partial too. A house with a backyard that big certainly had potential.

James brightened and turned to look at which blue print he could get to work on and gasped at her mother's choice.

"But mother! That's…."

"A very lovely house. I agree. Kimberly's going to love the new her new home. This should cover the down payment."

James just stood there in shock as she slipped the check into his hands.

"James, I love you. Never doubt that. If I could give you the world, I would. Just like I have no doubt that you love Kimberly and would give her the world if you could."

Turning to go before she embarrassed them both by seeing her grown son cry, Nana Possible shuffled off to the kitchen to get herself a nice hot cup of tea. Perhaps a touch of cinnamon. Turning her hearing aid off again in case her son started to protest the check.

Really, men can be such boys at times.

She was then quite surprised to hear her son yell even though her hearing aid was off.

"ANN'S WHAT?"

* * *

Kim Possible sat outside the principal's office looking dejected and miserable. Currently she was covered in today's special lunch dessert, grand royal fruit tart in French Vanilla crème and caramel sauce .

Normally, a single fruit tart, even generously dished out by chef Guston, would not have been enough to cover a little girl, head to foot, but with an entire dining hall of little girls deciding to bombard one particular little girl, the results were predictable.

Luckily the fruit tarts came in stylishly hand folded paper cups so there were no bones broken or anything like that.

Of course, she got covered in this awhile ago, so now she smelled like over ripe fruit.

Kim Possible really missed her mommy.

At first, Kim was glad when she went to the waiting lounge for lunch and didn't see her mother there, thinking that maybe mommy really did get that Kim needed to do things on her own now to fit in and would be much happier if she could eat lunch with all the other kids.

She took it all back.

They were all horrible, horrible people.

Boys or girls, it didn't matter.

The name calling, the pranks, the snubbing. Asking them to stop didn't work. Saying please didn't work. Telling the teachers to make them stop didn't work.

Kimberly Ann Possible hated it here. She didn't belong here and after today, she didn't want to belong here.

And to make things worse, she knew her Mommy and Daddy really wanted her to fit in here with all the special boys and girls.

She was Their princess, but that wasn't good enough here. Some of the girls here were REAL princesses.

She didn't want to stay here anymore. She didn't like the old pre-K. She hoped mommy and daddy would just let her stay home this time.

Sighing, Kim took some roasted banana chips off her head and took a bite. As a consolation, at least she got to try some of the desert today. They were really good. Not as good as mommy's lunch but still good.

Look out the window at the darkening sky, Kim hoped mommy got here soon. She wanted to go home and it looked like it was going to rain.

* * *

Ron staggered on blearily through his nightmare. The dark of the night broken sporadically by lightning. Its boom echoing through the forest even as the sound of pouring rain drowned it moments later.

Red and pain.

The hurting machine and the voice.

More needles and the dark over and over again.

Blood.

So much blood.

Something tripped him and Ron fell face first into the cold muddy ground, unable to catch himself. His arms were still trapped in the damn straight jacket.

He wanted food.

He wanted sleep.

He wanted to be back home where everything was going to be OK again. Back to his Fearless Ferret pajamas and his own bed without straps and eat food that was not grey and piped through a tube.

Seeing a beam of light shine nearing, Ron forced his tired body to roll into the bushes.

The cops were still on his trail.

The light came closer and closer. Two beams. Two cops.

Ron willed himself to become one with the shadows, forcing himself to stop shivering from the cold, hoping that they would just go away, but they kept getting closer and closer. Ron was about to run for it when they stopped.

Stopped so close by he could hear them talk in the storm.

"Any sign?" One yelled to the other, the rain muffling their voices, the darkness making them little more than indistinct figures he could just see past leaves, illuminated by flashlights

"Nothing! Chief says that we won't have choppers until tomorrow. K-9 units are useless and back up is still on its way. "

"What are we supposed to do? Stomp through the forest all night?"

"Welcome to the force rookie! Perimeter and gird search continues until the chief calls the whole thing off. Look at bright side, this counts as over time!"

There were a lot of bad words said that would have had his mouth washed in soap if his mother ever heard him say them, but Ron knew his mother wasn't here.

She was back home and probably cooking dinner by now. Meatloaf. He'd love some of her meatloaf.

Ron counted up to 100 after the lights were gone and his sight adjusted to the darkness again.

They were still chasing him then. Back to the bad place. Where they told him it was for his own good and they were going to make him better.

No. He was not going back. He was never going back!

They'd have to catch him first.

Ron shivered as he saw more lights coming from another direction. Digging into the mud, Ron knew that the people looking for him were getting tired. They'd get hungry and want to get some meat loaf and Bueno Nacho.

All he had to do was wait and make a run for it when they were taking a break.

This forest wasn't so bad really. It was kinda cozy.

Resting his eyes for a minute, Ron Stoppable curled up in the mud and slipped into a deep sleep.

Visions of a red hair haunting his dreams.


	8. Alone

Ann screamed.

She should have expected something like this. She should have known this would happen. She never should have said yes back at the hospital.

How could she so stupid.

"AAARRRGH!"

The pain! It was so hard to think. It hurt so much. Oh god, please make it stop.

James, where are you?

"Hold on, we're almost to the hospital, you'll be alright."

Ann opened her eyes, her brow was wet with sweat and she was gasping for breathe but she had enough left in her lungs to yell. "That's what you said an hour ago!"

The EMT in the ambulance with her blushed but had nothing else to say.

Really, what could you say to a woman in agony?

There had been a disturbance in the new asylum earlier and when the ambulance and fire fighters were dispatched to the site, it was a scene of total chaos.

The small road that would have been fine for handling the light traffic linking the asylum to the rest of the city was littered by wrecked cars and burning debris, delaying the responders.

By the time they got to the scene, the asylum was in ruins and engulfed in flames, dozens of people were wounded and staggering about. A few weren't moving at all.

And one Dr. Ann Possible was going into labor.

Being low on the triage list, there wasn't any painkillers left to treat Dr. Ann Possible by time they could transport her to the hospital to give birth.

And on the way back, the ran into traffic trying to get TO the asylum.

More medical personnel, fire fighters, even what looked like police were jamming up the road. The weather had turned nasty and between the dark of nightfall, a stormy downpour complete with thunder and lighting made things slow going.

None of this were helping Dr. Ann Possible.

As another contraction hit and the spasm of pain came, Ann screamed out her husband's name.

She did not want to go through this alone.

8888888888888

"Mam, we've got over a dozen unaccounted for!"

" We can't cover this much ground! We need more agents to…."

"We can't operate in this weather, I say wait until the storm passes and…

"The press will have to be contained until we can control the situation…

"Protocol states that we take control of the local PD and…"

"**ENOUGH**!" A crack of lightning and thunder followed soon after the shout, silencing everyone.

Special Agent Betty Director raised her sole eye up from the map in the makeshift command tent and looked hard at the gathered men and women with her. Each of them highly trained, qualified and handpicked for her task force.

Unfortunately, they were NOT handpicked by her. Some deskjockey did.

What she needed were actual, honest to goodness agents who could get results, not an army of raw recruits who tested well but with barely any field veterans to show them how to get things done.

Damn it, she thought she was through with babysitting.

"This is what we will do. We will continue the search until EVERYONE is accounted for or we get an order to do otherwise. The weather is beyond my control and not my concern. The press are NOT to be detained and will be given as much assistance as possible without affecting our mission. The local police department is NOT to be trifled with and We will take orders from Them! Anyone incapable of following my orders will face Code 3 Sanction. ARE WE CLEAR!"

"Ma'am yes ma'am!" The deeply ingrained automatic response to a diatribe was at least motivating. While the resulting flurry of activity was no more coordinated than before, the conditioned need to at least Look busy and effective by not bothering her with every little problem would have to do until she managed to hammer in the concept of Initiative into their heads.

Massaging her head with one hand, Special Agent Betty Director studied the map once again and tried to banish the awful need to scream and rage at the horrid mess the situation was turning out to be.

Luckily, no one died here but there were over a dozen wounded and a brand new, not even fully furnished, asylum was being gutted by flames.

Add to that, most of the patients and inmates had to be evacuated because of the fire and of course they then promptly escaped out into the wood during a thunderstorm.

The only silver lining was that at least the rain was helping put out the fire.

The fallout from this would be colossal.

The Middleton Asylum for the Deranged was supposed to be the first of many mental hospitals that would be built in the area for the unspoken cost of turning Middleton into a top class Scientific Research and Development zone.

Mad Scientists.

Ever field of endeavor had its casualties, and science broke the minds of the brilliant as often as athletics took a toll on the bodies of athletes.

Hell, some of the Mad Scientists were being concentrated here because some actually became more brilliant after their fall to madness.

This event alone would have the government backtracking and politicians covering their asses and denying ever supporting such an initiative or even its existence which meant any government interest and oversight over this was over.

Then the stupid and predictable response would be to over react and start promoting legislation in favor of the patients and inmates in hope of looking like the good guys. Special status, tax breaks, the works.

The fact that a sizeable number of press was here for some reason all but guaranteed it. All evidence of wrongdoing erased, all knowledge of official programs denied. It was a story too damn familiar to Dr. Betty Director.

Sighing, she wished Steve was here with her again before banishing that thought. It all seemed so simple back when it was just the two of them on missions instead of having to deal with problems like this on her own, but things changed and she knew it was right to do this on her own

88888888888

Kim Possible would not cry. She would not show others how scared she was. She would sit, and wait, and try her hardest to be a poised, proper little lady and not ask for her mommy again and again.

She was wrapped in a towel after a teacher took her to a bathroom and washed off the gunk that was crusting on her. Her uniform was hopeless soiled and wouldn't be wearable even after a dozen washes since it was stained through and through.

It was getting late. All the students and most of the teachers had left already, leaving only a handful waiting with her in the principal's office. With each passing moment Kim knew even the few would leave and then it would be just her, sitting there alone in the dark.

Did she make mommy mad? Did someone tattle on her and told what a bad girl was?

Another crack of lightning and Kim flinched, allowing herself this weakness since no one was really paying attention to her anymore.

Now no one would tell her anything and just whispers when they thoughts she couldn't hear.

She heard complaining about having to stay with her and no one was accepting calls to pick her up.

Everyone was going to leave her here.

Alone.

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Ron made it!

His eyes weren't working so well. It was like the TV sometimes when all he could see where black and white dancing about on the screen. He tried shaking his head and slapping himself a few times but it just made his head hurt and his vision to swim a bit.

It was getting harder to balance too. And not just because he was tired or had been walking past tripping roots, knee deep mud and thorny brush. He was almost out of something deep inside that he'd been using to keep on moving.

But he had done it.

He was home.

Ron kept to the shadows and circled his house first, glad that none of the mean people were nearby anymore but he wasn't taking any chances.

Squeezing past a fence, Ron crawled through the backyard, avoiding flashes of light from lightning to reach a kitchen window. Using the cover of thunder and one garden gnome thrown through glass gave him a way in.

He'd apologize and fix it later. Right now, he had to get a little snackage!

Crawling through the hold had cut him a little but after all the cuts he already had, it was barely worth noticing. He wasn't bleeding much anyway.

Tiptoeing like his dad to the ref for a midnight snack he wasn't supposed to have, Ron opened the fridge for food and wondered why the little light inside didn't go on, and why there wasn't any food.

Did his parents forget to go grocery shopping?

Scurrying in the darkness, Ron crept up the stairs to ask his parents for some food. Maybe he'd get some Bueno Nacho again. He really liked Beuno Nacho. Rufus had said that all the cheese in it made it a food worth eating, not like grey glop. Ron wholeheartedly agreed.

The little guy wished him luck and disappeared to do his own thing by the time Ron was giddily circling his house.

Gingerly knocking on the door didn't get a response. Whispering didn't get a response.

Taking a deep breathe, Ron tried to open the door and was surprise to see that it wasn't even locked.

"Mom? Dad?" The room was empty. Not just empty, but Empty empty.

It was all bare, not even the bed was there anymore.

Shaking off the feeling of dread, Ron checked the rest of the house. Room after room was bare. His room, the den, garage. Most of their stuff was gone!

Sitting down in the dark, the cold, hunger and exhaustion weighing heavy, the pain of all the cuts, scrapes and briuses seemed to throab before Ron came to the most logical conclusion.

They've been robbed! His parents were probably kidnapped and he had to go save them!

He couldn't call the police. They'd just throw him back into the bad place again.

Well, he wasn't going to just let bad guys do this! He was Ron Stoppable, a good boy and he was going to make things better even if he had to it all by himself!

Yes, all by...himself.


End file.
